Lilyana
Lilyana looked around the inside of the Temple of the Shaper as though seeing a sunrise for the first time.
“Momma, where are we?” she whispered absentmindedly. She hadn’t called her mother “Momma” in years.
The handsome Athrani being escorted by Coraline chuckled. “Have you never seen the inside of the temple, my dear?”
Lily blushed and shook her head, having forgotten that there were other people around. The grand entrance to the temple was mostly empty, as the vast majority of guests were gathered in the adjacent ballroom, awaiting the arrival of High Keeper Sh’thanna. Lily looked to her mother, who gave her an expectant nod and a smile as if to say, He’s waiting for an answer.
“I never have,” Lily admitted meekly. “I’ve only ever seen it from the outside.”
“In that case, please, follow me to the ballroom.” His light blue eyes with a deep violet ring smiled along with him. “It’s by far the most impressive part.”
Lily barely heard him; she was too busy looking around the temple. Towering over the throngs of people was the blue marble walls of the vast interior, lit on this moonless night by torches that burned high above, bright and warm.
The inside was split into three parts: the entrance connecting to the throne room was in the middle; the ballroom was on the right; and on the left was a series of rooms for entertaining, dining, and many other things that Lily couldn’t quite ascertain. As they walked to the ballroom, she looked down at the smoothly polished floor, which reflected almost perfectly, like the still waters of a lake.
“Come, Lily,” her mother whispered harshly.
Realizing she had fallen behind, Lily hurried to catch up as they passed through a pair of huge wooden doors as tall as a house. Inside, the ballroom spilled out before her like a great marble field.
Colorful, courtly gowns filled Lily’s vision as she looked around in wonder. There must have been two hundred people in the room, with enough space for them all to spread out their arms and spin. She had never imagined that the inside of something could be so spacious. But as her eyes floated over the crowd, they suddenly fell upon a woman who made everyone else look dull.
High Keeper Sh’thanna.
Coraline leaned down to whisper in her ear. “There she is,” she said, indicating with her eyes. “Isn’t she captivating?”
Lily could only nod in response. Even the light in the ballroom seemed fixated on the woman who had just cast the crowd into silence.
The High Keeper had sharp blue eyes surrounded by another blue ring, deep and engaging, and hair that draped her shoulders in perfectly elegant tendrils. Her elbow-length gloves were trimmed with silk and matched her long gold-and-white gown. Lily wondered if the Shaper of Ages Herself had had a hand in the woman’s creation who was now descending a long staircase lined with pairs of soldiers. As the High Keeper passed, each soldier snapped to attention.
She walked slowly and gracefully, as though she knew that every eye in the room was on her.
Lily now understood why the people of Ellenos had chosen Sh’thanna to be the High Keeper at such a young age: she was like no one else.
When she turned to say so to her mother, though, she spied the only pair of eyes that were not on the High Keeper; and those eyes belonged to the Tallister, who was fixated on Coraline.
The High Keeper cleared her throat and addressed the room.
“Thank you, all of you, for coming,” she said. Her voice carried well in the enormous ballroom, striking Lily as being both powerful and magnificent. “Tonight will be a night to remember. I hope it will soon have its place in Athrani history as being important not just for our people, but for the others with whom we share this world.” She held her head high as she spoke, and Lily could see a flicker of emotion under the stern, regal mask the High Keeper wore. “Tonight is a night for hope, and for celebration. It has been many, many years since the Athrani split from humanity, and it has also been many generations since the end of the Shaping War, when the Khyth rejected our common ancestry to embrace darkness instead.”
The words made an uneasy murmur course through the crowd, as a mention of the Khyth was seldom followed by good news.
The High Keeper continued.
“Tonight, I have made the decision to send an envoy to the city of Khala Val’ur in order to forge a lasting peace between the Athrani and the Khyth.” At this, the Tallister began to move toward the High Keeper. “And I have chosen the ambassador who shall lead our people to peace.”
There were nods of approval and admiration, as well as a smattering of applause, when the Tallister stepped up to stand beside the High Keeper, waving his hand and smiling warmly.
“Thank you, High Keeper,” he said, then turned to address the audience. “It is an honor to be chosen to represent our people, and I will do everything in my power to make sure this undertaking is a success. It will not be easy to repair a rift such as ours, but I will not be doing so alone. I will have help, and the High Keeper has allowed me to choose from our best and brightest.” He paused, emphasizing the next point. “Even old wounds can be healed in time.”
High Keeper Sh’thanna nodded gravely. “The Tallister speaks truly. Which is why tonight shall be about celebrating peace.” She held out her hand, palm up, and swept it over the onlookers. “So, please, celebrate!” she said with a smile.
She clapped her hands twice, and a beautiful chorus of music burst forth from the orchestra, filling the air. The guests took their cue and began to pair off to start dancing.
The dull roar of conversation made the ballroom seem twice as full as it actually was, as the marble floors and walls made elegant echoes out of the sounds inside.
And amid all the hustle and bustle stood the Tallister.
He smiled and began walking. A few couples parted to make way for him as he walked toward Lily and her mother. When he reached them, he extended his hand to Coraline.
“Coraline,” he said with a bow, “may I have this dance?”
Lily watched her mother cover her mouth in genuine amusement; she was smiling with not just her mouth but her eyes as well.
“You may,” she answered as she placed her hand in his. “Lily,” she said, “remember the rules.”
Lily nodded at her mother and gave them a wary look. But her mother looked happy, so she covered it with a smile of her own.
As the two Athrani glided over the dance floor, Lily was surprised at how easily the Tallister moved. He was tall and refined, and his years of serving under the High Keeper had no doubt contributed to that. Yet, as handsome as he was, he was equally as graceful. And he seemed genuinely taken by Coraline.
Maybe something good will come of this, Lily thought. Mother deserves it.
What she saw next, though, made her reconsider.
She saw him lean in and whisper something to Coraline; the look of shock that came across her mother’s face made Lily worried. Her mother looked at her with the same surprised look, and then back to the Tallister, as if considering some terrible possibility. The two of them had stopped dancing, and the waves of colors swirling by them from the other dancers made them look like two sparks that had been thrown from a roaring fire. The Tallister said something else that Lily couldn’t hear, and Coraline forcefully let go of his hand. She slapped him and hurried toward Lily.
“Come, Lily,” she said as she grabbed her by the hand. “We’re leaving.”
***
Back at their house, Coraline was frantic—and Lily didn’t like it.
“Hurry, Lily, grab your things.”
She was tearing through her chests and drawers in the house, gathering clothes of her own and stuffing them into a pack.
“Why, Mother? What’s wrong?”
Her mother took a moment from her frenzied packing and looked Lily in the eye. “I don’t want that man dictating our lives,” she said. “Now do as I say.”
Lily’s heart was racing. She had never seen her mother like this before, but she knew how protective she could get. She just wished it hadn’t been on such a beautiful night. Her mother looked so pretty in her dress.
“Here,” Coraline said as she pressed a small, heavy pouch into Lily’s hand. “Take this. If anything should happen to me, or we get separated, I want you to be able to take care of yourself.”
“Momma, you’re scaring me,” Lily said. Her eyes had already started to water, and she felt herself breathing faster.
“Oh, sweetie,” she said as she put down her pack. “Sweetie, I’m sorry.” She slid over to where Lily was standing, and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m so sorry.”
Lily felt warm tears welling up inside her eyes as her mother kissed her on the forehead.
Her mother, kneeling, looked her in the eye.
“You have to understand that I’ll do anything to keep you safe,” she said. “I don’t want this life for you. I never have. I’ve always wanted more for you, more than I ever had when I was a girl, and I’ll do anything to see that you get it.”
Her mother’s warm embrace flushed away the last of her tears as Lily tried to steady her breathing.
“Now,” Coraline said gently, “can you do this one thing for me? Can you pack your things like I asked?”
Lily nodded hesitantly. “But where am I going?”
“You’re finally going to meet your uncle Thaurson,” Coraline said with a soft smile.